Fluid-operated well-drilling apparatus



Feb., 5 1924.,

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Filed Oct. 9 1922 C. C. SCHARIPENBERG FLUID OPERATED WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

e than@ UHA'BLES SCHABPENBERG, 0F BAKERSFIELD, CALIFGRNIA.

FLUID-OPEBATED WELL-DRILLING APPARATUS.

Application inea october 9, 1922. seriaino. 593,287.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. SCHAR- PENBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bakersfield, in the county of Kern e and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fluid-` Operated llVell-Drilling Apparatus, of which the following .is a specification.

` My invention relates to the well drilling art, and more particularly to a fluid operated rotary well drilling apparatus adapted to be suspended in the well by a non-rotatable line of pipe.

The principal'object of my invention is to rovide a device of the described type which is simple'and rugged in construction and therefore easy to assemble and repair Y andreliable under conditions of hard service,

and which is mechanically eiiicient in operation. A further object of my invention is to provide means for utilizing a portion of the power fluid to wash the cuttings away from the drill bit. A still further object is to provide means for measuring the force necessary to rotate the drill bit, by means of the torque reaction upon the non-rotatable pipe line, this measurement being ofuse in determining the rate of speed at which the drill is fed into the earth formation.`

With these objects in view, my invention will now be fully described with reference to the' accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a well showing my drilling apparatus assembled for use.

Fig. 2.is a longitudinal sectionl enlarged of the motor of my drilling apparatus.

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections, taken respectively on the lines 3 3 and of Fig. 5 is a'fra'gmentary elevation of the interlocking guide vane rings.

Fig. 6 isa fragmentary elevation of the runner, showing one set of power vanes and the interlocking sleeves therefor.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section of .the motor, showin one set of power vanes and one set of gui e vanes.

' Fig. 8 is a part sectional plan, reduced in Y e@ size, of the torque arm for holding the pipe line against rotation.

Fig. 9 is afragmentary form of the vanes.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary vertical Section, w enlarged, of a portion of the motor shaft,

detail showing the showing the means for securing the runner thereto.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary' vertical section of the upper end ortion of the motor shaft, showing a modi ed form of construction from that shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings, and referring for the present to Fig. 1 thereof, the reference numeral 1 designates the well which is being drilled, and 2 is the linev of pipe for supporting the drillin'g machine. Said pipe line is suspended from above by the usual means indicated at 3. The uppermost section or Joint of said pipe line 2 is of square cross section, as shown at 4c in Figs. 1 and 8, and this squared portion passes through an arm 5. Rollers 6 are preferably provided in said arm, t o permit the square portion 4 and the pipe line 2 attached thereto to be raised and lowered without rotating in said arm. The o uter end of the arm 5 is secured to a stationary support, not shown, by means of any suitable form of dynamometer, illustrated in Fig. 8 as a compression spring 7 interposed between two,tension members 8. By means of this dynamometer, the torque reaction of the motor and drill bit may be determined, and the rate of feed of said drill bit into the ground regulated accordingly.

The lower end of the pipe line 2 carries a fluid operated turbine motor comprising a shell 9, Fig. 2, secured to said pipe 2 and having aseries of vertically spaced sets of stationary guide vanes 10 alternating with intervening sets of rotatable power vanes 11. The guide vanes 10 are secured to or formed integrally with annular rims 12. Said rims lit snugly within the shell 9, and are wider than the vanes 10; and they are locked together against rotation by means of interfitting tongues 13 formed in their adjacent edges, as shown in Fig. 5. The lowermost rim is secured to the shell 9 by any suitable means, as for example a feather or key 14, Fig. 2.

The power vanes 11 are secured to or 1W formed integrally With\hubs 15, which lit snugly upon a rotatable central shaft 16. Said hubs 15 are interlocked by tongues 17, Fig. 6, ina manner Similar to the rims 12 of the guide vanes 10. AThe lowermost hub im 15 is similarly interlocked with a collar 18, Fig. 10, which is secured te the shaft both by a feather 19 and a split ring 20, the latter fitting within a groove in said shaft, as shown. This construction enables the sets of lll@ vanesto be .assembled from the upper end of the shell 9, which can therefore be made in one piece.

Bothl the stationary guide vanes 10 and the rotatable runner vanes 11 may be of any suitable form,` but are preferably of parabolic section, as shown i- Figs. 6,- 7 and 9, to produce the necessary changes of dlrection in the fluid stream with the least possible resistance and shock. The inclination of the rotatable vanes is, of course, opposite to that of the stationary' vanes, as shown. By means of this parabolic form of the vanes, I am able to get the greatest possible eiiieiency from the device.

The rotatable runner shaft 16 is mounted in suitable radial and end-thrust bearings 21, Fig. 2, supported by spiders 22 carried by the shell 9. The lower end of said shaft projects below the lower end of said shell and carries the drill bit 23. Said shaft 16 is hollow, and is provided with a funnelshaped open upper end 24,\`exposed to the incoming stream of iuid from the pipe line 2. The bore 25 of said shaft 16 communicates with a passage 26 extending through the drill bit 23. Thus a portion of the iiuidl is diverted through the passages 25 and 26 and issues from the drill bit 23 in the form of a jet to wash away the cuttings and improve the action of said drill bit. The main body of fluid passes through the alternate sets of Iixed and movable vanes, rotating the shaft 16 and the drill bit 23, and issues from the lower end of the shell 9. The entire spent Huid then passes up through the we11,outside the shell 9 and the pipe line 2, carrying'with it the cuttings and muck and removing them from the well. A connection is shown at 27 in Fig. 1 for supplying the fluid, under suitable pressure, to the pipe line 2 at the surface of thevground.

Provision is made for lubricating the bearings 21 of the shaft 16, comprising a cylinder 28, Fig. 2, open at the top to thel Huid pressure in the pipe line 2, and having a slidable piston 29. When the apparatus is assembled prior to beginning the drilling operation the cylinder 28 is filled with lubricant, below the piston 29, as shown at 29', and said lubricant is subsequently forced, by the 'fluid pressure above said piston, through suitably disposed ipes or ducts 30 to the shaft bearings 21. Iuitable covers or housings 31 are provided for excluding the working Huid from said bearings.

A slight modification of my device is shown in Fig. 11. In this form the turbine shaft `16 is closed at its upper end 16', which lies entirely within the housing 31 of the upper bearing 21, and said shaft is provided with one or more openings 32 below said upper bearing, through which the pressure fluid may enter the bore 25 of said shaft. This construction simplifies the upper shaft bearing structure, rendering more certain the exclusion of the pressure Huid therefrom. It also allows the diverting openings 32 to be made at any desired point n the length of the shaft 16, so that any desired pressure of the diverted fluid in the drill bit passage 26 may be obtained.

I claimzl 1. A well drilling apparatus comprising a shell non-rotatably suspended within the well; a vertically disposed rotatable hollow shaft Within said shell; aA plurality of vanes carried by said shaft; a drill bit carried by the projecting lower end of said shaft, said drill bit having a Huid passage communicating with the bore of said shaft and leading to the cutting face of said drill bit, and said shaft having a closed upper end and openings in its wall in the region of said vanes; and means for passing a stream of fluid under pressure through said shell to contact with said vanes to rotate said shaft, a portion of said fluidbeng diverted through said openings and the bore of said 'shaft to the cutting face of said drill bit.

2. A well drilling apparatus comprising a shell non-rotatably suspended within the Well; means for passing a stream of uid under pressure through said shell; a rotataable shaft within said shell; a plurality of adjacent sleeves surrounding said shaft; means for securing said sleeves upon said shaft; a set of power vanes projecting outwardly from each sleeve; a plurality of adjacent rings itted within said shell; means for securing said 'rings to said shell; a set of guide vanes projecting inwardly from each ring and lying between adjacent sets of power vanes, said guide vanes being so disposed as to direct the Huid stream against said power vanes to cause the rotation of said shaft; and a drill bit carried by the lower projecting end of said shaft.

3. A well dr1lling apparatus comprising a shell non-rotatably suspended within the well; means for passing a stream of Huid under pressure through said shell; a rotatable hollow shaft within said shell, the bore of said shaft being open to the fluid within said shell; a drill bit carried by the projecting end of said shaft, said drill bit having a fluid passage communicating with the bore of said shaft and leading to the cutting face of said drill bit; a plurality of adjacent sleeves mounted upon said shaft for rotation therewith; a set of power vanes projecting outwardly from each sleeve; a plurality of adjacent stationary rings tted within said shell; and a set of guide' vanes projecting inwardly from each ring and lylll ing between adjacent sets of power vanes,

said guide vanes being so disposed as to direct the fluid stream against said power vanes to cause the rotation of said shaft.

4. A well drillin apparatus comprising a shell non-rotatab y suspended within the well; means for passing a stream of fluid under pressure through said shell; a rotatable shaft within said shell; a plurality 'of interlocking sleeves surrounding said shaft, one of said sleeves being fixed upon said shaft; a set of power vanes projectmg outwardly from each sleeve' a plurality of interlocking rings Iitted withln said shell,

Vunder pressure through said shell; a rotatable shaft withinsaid shell; a plurality of interlocking sleeves surrounding said shaft, the lower-most of said sleeves being fixed upon said shaft; a set of power vanes projecting outwardly from each sleeve; a

plurality of interlocking rings fitted within said shell, the lowermost ring being secured to said shell; a set of guide vanes projecting inwardly from each ring and lybetween adjacent sets of power vanes, said guide vanes vbeing so disposed as to direct the Huid stream against said power vanes to cause the rotation of said shaft; and a drill bit carried by the lower projecting end of said shaft.

6. A well drilling apparatus comprising a shell non-rotatably suspended within the well; a rotatable shaft journaled within said shell; a plurality of vanes carried by said shaft within the shell; means for directing a stream of Huid under pressure against said vanes to rotate said shaft; and means for lubricating the journals of said shaft comprising a cylinder adapted to contain a supply of lubricant and open at one end to the Huid pressure within the shell, a piston in said cylinder for separating the lubricant from the pressure fluid, and a pipe connecting the lubricant-containing end of said cylinder with the bearings of said shaft.

7, A well drillin apparatus comprising a shell non-rotataby suspended within the well; a rotatable hollow shaft journaled within said shell; a drill bit carried by the projecting end of said shaft; a plurality of vanes carried by said shaft within the shell; means for directing a stream of fluid under pressure against said vanes to rotate said shaft; means for diverting a portion of said Huid stream through said hollow shaft to the cutting face of said drill bit to carry oil' thecuttings therefrom; and means for lubricating the journals of said shaft comprisin a cylinder adapted to contain a supply o lubricant and open at one end to the fluid pressure within the shell; a piston in said cylinder for separatin the lubricant from the pressure liuid an a pipe connecting the lubricant-containing end of said cylinder with the bearings of said shaft.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specication. 

